The Tragedie of Light, Prince of Darkness
by TzviaAriella
Summary: What if Death Note had been written in the style of William Shakespeare?
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: I have no justification for this beyond wanting to see if I could, and now that I've done the first chapter of the manga, I kind of want to do the other 107 chapters. Fellow Shakespeare nerds will notice one or two direct callouts to the Bard's more famous lines in here..._**

* * *

PROLOGUE:

Two beings both alike in boredom sit  
At the commencement of our mise-en-scene:  
The one a student of surpassing wit,  
The next a creature beyond mortal ken.

Each casts upon the world a cynic's gaze  
From schoolroom desk or Shinigami Realm,  
Unlike in all but for their shared malaise—  
Unlike in all, but likewise underwhelmed.

Yet the fell instrument of their relief,  
Uniting them in cause and amity,  
Will set the two upon a path of grief  
And on the world unleash calamity.

The tale of which, if you would hear the end,  
We pray you now with patient ears attend.

* * *

**ACT I, SCENE I**

RYUK:

Five days have passed since my intrigues began  
Yet here I sit, whiling the time away,  
Watching these dull and uninspired fools  
Play games of chance. Well, 'tis my turn to play  
And I shall hazard more than dusty bones.  
I'll dice with men; and though my furtive cast  
Fall where it may, I'll see the matter through.  
For these companions bore me, every one,  
And I have grown so weary of this place.

GOOK:

Good Deridovely, cast the bones, I pray.

DERIDOVELY:

'Tis double deaths-heads. I have won again.

RYUK:

Good gentlemen, I take my leave of you.  
The time has come.

DERIDOVELY:

The time for what, Ryuk?  
Where would you go?

GOOK:

Anywhere else but here  
Is just as barren, gray, and desolate.

RYUK:

It may be so. I've something to retrieve.  
The notebook that I carry with me here  
Has dropped.

GOOK:

Oho, you've gone and done it now!  
I heard you have a second; is it true?  
A second notebook, hidden from our king—  
And have you lost them both? Oh, fool of fools!

DERIDOVELY:

A grave mishap, yet an amusing one.  
Have you a notion where it fell, Ryuk?

RYUK:

Indeed. It fell upon the human world.

GOOK:

The human world?

DERIDOVELY:

Ryuk, what jest is this?  
You cannot mean it.

_[Exit Ryuk]_

GOOK:

I daresay he does.  
A shinigami in the human world!  
These are strange times.

DERIDOVELY:

Strange times indeed, my friend,  
But it concerns us not. Pass me the bowl.  
Let Ryuk play his games, and we'll play ours.  
We don't need him around to pass the hours.

_[Exit Gook and Deridovely]_

* * *

**ACT I, SCENE II**

LIGHT:

As I sat looking out upon the lawn  
I could not help but see a notebook fall  
Like Icarus, out of a sunlit sky—  
And here it is. Did no one else observe  
This riveting and most peculiar sight?  
So does it seem. Well, I'll investigate.

_[Light picks up the notebook]_

"Death Note?" What does that dire name portend?  
I'll glance inside. Ah, 'tis in English, then?  
That is no barrier I cannot surmount.  
These do appear to be instructions here  
And call this the possession of a god.  
A god of death? Such things do not exist.  
"The man whose name is written in this book  
Shall surely die." This is a childish jest;  
In low and beggared taste. And yet, perhaps  
It would not hurt take a closer look.  
There's something curious about this book.

_[Exit Light]_

* * *

**ACT I, SCENE III**

LIGHT:

The more I read, the book grows stranger still!  
This prank is low indeed, but well-defined.  
"A name alone does not suffice to kill  
Unless the writer holds the face in mind  
Of the intended victim. Cause of death  
In twoscore seconds must be fully writ  
Or else this book will stop his heart and breath  
In one fell swoop, and make an end of it.  
You may write details of the chosen end  
After the cause, within this timely sum:  
Six minutes twoscore. Then what you have penned  
Will be irrevocable; it shall come."  
So kill with speed, or prolong agony—  
Oh, what a fiendish game these rules would be!  
All right, I'll play.

_[Light picks up a pen]_

Soft, let me think on it.  
If this were true, and someone were to die,  
Then I, like sevenfold avenged Cain,  
Would be to blame. Aye, but a murderer?  
Not so. Ne'er so. Uneasy thoughts, begone!  
I'll chose a stranger, to be safer still,  
Yet one whose fall I can at once confirm  
Should it prove true. Oh, what a fool am I  
To treat a jest with such solemnity!

_[Light turns on the television]_

ANNOUNCER:

Ah woe, most cursed news from Shinjuku!  
The fiendish killer who but yesterday  
Did prey on six—some wounded, others killed—  
Has taken hostages within a school  
And barred the doors. We have the villain's name.  
He is Kurou Otoharada, and—

LIGHT:

I need no more, for there his picture is.  
Kurou Otoharada, meet your doom!  
And now to count the time.

ANNOUNCER:

The scene is still;  
Like statues planted 'round the stricken school,  
Police in silence wait, holding their breath,  
But dare not interfere.

LIGHT:

Ah, there's the rub.  
Otoharada lives; the book is false.  
I knew it to be so.

ANNOUNCER:

Hold on, what's this?  
Eight people have emerged. They seem unharmed.  
Already now police are charging in!

LIGHT:

Oh, can it be?

ANNOUNCER:

I cannot say how it has come to pass  
Or by what stroke of Providence it came  
But now I can confirm—oh, happy day!  
The villain is deceased. The witnesses  
All say Otoharada did collapse  
Quite suddenly, for reasons yet unknown.  
The man is dead.

LIGHT:

Alas, so it is true!  
And I, poor fool, am now a murderer!  
No, not for sure. I must not panic yet.  
Coincidences happen every day;  
This may be one.

_[Enter Sachiko]_

SACHIKO:

Oh, Light, my child, what's this?  
Still dawdling here, and you with class tonight?  
For shame.

LIGHT:

I will be leaving presently.  
I'll pack my things, and then be on my way.

_[Exit Sachiko]_

I'll test the matter presently, on one  
Whom no one would reproach me for his death.  
A criminal, some villain little-known  
And lesser loved would be the surest course.  
For if I chose some famed, notorious brute,  
His time of death might never be released  
And I must surely know. Begone, my fears!  
I must have proof less dubious than this.  
Be calm, my heart, lest they see aught amiss.

_[Exit Light]_

* * *

**ACT I, SCENE IV**

SUDOU:

What, ho, Ryo!

RYO:

What would you have of me?

SUDOU:

My wallet's thin.

RYO:

Alack, Sudou, again?

SUDOU:

Aye, truly. I daresay you will assist—  
Two thousand yen would do it.

RYO:

Here it is.  
And when will you repay me?

SUDOU:

What, repay?  
And why should I do that? Ah, my good friends,  
We'll have good sport tonight. My wallet's flush.

LIGHT:

Now there stands one who might deserve to die.  
And shall I send him to it? I dare not.  
He is of my acquaintance, and I fear  
Detection, should I risk it. Soft, am I  
Too cringing in my fears? A boy like that  
Would scarce be missed by any.

TEACHER:

Light, attend!  
You are our chiefest pupil and our pride,  
Of higher rank than any in your class  
Across the vasty fullness of Japan.  
And are you dreaming now? For shame, for shame!

LIGHT:

Apologies, good sir. I do avow,  
My thoughts had wandered; I am focused now.

* * *

**ACT I, SCENE V**

LIGHT:

Oh, what a base and peasant world this is!  
The thought is new but unavoidable.  
For as I stand in judgment, all I see  
Are insignificant or wicked souls  
Whose lives the world would neither mourn nor miss.

_[Enter Takuo and two Bikers]_

TAKUO:

Ho, maiden, stop! You are a pretty thing,  
Let's have a pretty time. What say you, girl?

BIKER 1:

Good taste, well chosen!

TAKUO:

Don't be shy.  
Takuo Shibuimaru is my name,  
Or else Shibuitaku, that's for short.

BIKER 2:

His favorite line again.

BIKER 1:

It is his name.  
He may as well employ it.

GIRL:

I think not.

TAKUO:

Think not? What's this?

BIKER 2:

Now there's a laugh for you.  
The girl thinks not!

LIGHT:

Now there's a perfect test.  
"Takuo Shibuimaru meets his doom  
In traffic," or disproves the matter plain.  
Now to observe.

_[Exit Girl]_

BIKER 2:

Look, Taku, there she goes!

TAKUO:

I'll see to that. I have a pair of wheels;  
She won't get far.

BIKER 1:

Oh, saints preserve us, look!

_[Exit Takuo. A crash.]_

LIGHT:

Oh, saints, indeed! And is he truly dead  
As I described? Why then, the book is real,  
And I shall bear the blame.

BIKER 2:

Let us be gone.  
His folly's led him to an early bier;  
We would be fools as well to linger here.

_[Exit Bikers]_

LIGHT:

Oh, my offense is rank; I am undone!  
And have I slaughtered two? Oh, help! Not two!  
The first one was a service, I avow,  
For killing him protected many lives,  
But now a second? That I cannot claim  
Was justified, for nothing that he did  
Within my sight would merit such a death.  
And yet—  
This world is rotten, so I have observed;  
The stench of it offends me to the core.  
This book may be the knife to pare away  
The fouler bits, and so the rest preserve.  
Yet dare I try? See, I have killed two men  
And how my hands now tremble at the thought!  
'Tis bitter work, and hard. Perhaps I can't.  
But dare I turn away? My life, my soul—  
Such little, trifling things to trade away  
If it would gain the world. Aye, someone must!  
And I am made of sharper, stronger steel  
Than any man I could entrust the task.  
So it is mine. It must be mine alone.  
There's none but I who could fulfill this role;  
I'll use the book, and make this cracked world whole.

_[Exit Light]_

* * *

**ACT I, SCENE VI**

LIGHT:

Good mother, I am home.

SACHIKO:

Ah, could that be  
My dearest son? Have you the test results?

LIGHT:

Here in my hand. Take them—you will be pleased.

SACHIKO:

What, are you first again? 'Tis quite the feat!  
These tests are nationwide.

LIGHT:

Ay, so they are.  
Leave me in peace a while, mother dear.  
I wish to study further.

SACHIKO:

Yes, of course.  
If there is aught you want, just say the word  
And you shall have it.

LIGHT:

Thank you, you are kind.  
I want for nothing; put your heart at ease.

_[Exit Sachiko]_

Five days it's been, and seems a longer span,  
Since I received this Death Note from the sky  
And with it the desires of my heart.  
Just say the word? What need have I of that?  
I have already all that I could want.

_[Enter Ryuk]_

RYUK:

You seem to have enjoyed it, heh.

LIGHT:

My God!  
What hellish sight is this?

RYUK:

Are you surprised?  
That notebook that you cherish as your own,  
And clearly have discerned the nature of—  
I am the one who dropped it to the earth.  
I am a shinigami, god of death,  
And I am called Ryuk.

LIGHT:

A god of death?  
Ah, then, 'tis no surprise. I knew you'd come.

RYUK:

Heh, is that so?

LIGHT:

'Tis kind of you to come.  
I did not doubt the notebook's provenance,  
Yet when I see a god before me now  
I know the truth with greater certainty,  
And I have questions too. I pray you, look.

RYUK:

I am indeed amazed! So many names  
And in so short a time? A wondrous feat!  
I have heard tales of books in human hands  
A time or two ere this, but never so.  
Most men would be too frightened.

LIGHT:

I am not.  
I knew a god of death controlled the book  
And used it nonetheless. I am prepared.  
If you would take my soul now you are here,  
I won't protest.

RYUK:

What fantasy is this?  
Such human tales. I will not harm you, no.  
The notebook's yours; so has it truly been  
Since it touched Gaea's soil.

LIGHT:

It is mine?

RYUK:

Until you pass it on, the book is yours.  
But if you shed its ownership, beware:  
I'll wipe away all memory of it  
Like sponge upon a slate. But until then  
The notebook binds us both, for it was mine.  
My visage can be seen by you alone,  
And only you can hear me.

LIGHT:

Can it be  
The notebook has no price?

RYUK:

No price for now.  
But there are countless tortures and alarms  
Which only those who use the notebook know.  
And when your fleeting life is at an end—  
For I still have a notebook of my own,  
And as we two are bound, it falls to me  
To write your name myself, when you expire—  
The gates of hell nor heaven will not yield  
And open unto any like yourself.  
But that's a lesson only death will teach;  
For now, there is no price.

LIGHT:

One question more.  
Of all the mortals here beneath the sky,  
How am I now the chosen and elect?

RYUK:

The chosen? What a flattering idea.  
I let the notebook fall; no more no less.  
Oho, the chosen? Do you think yourself  
A Socrates, some jewel of humankind  
More brilliant than the rest? 'Twas luck, no more;  
It fell nearby, and you recovered it.  
The proof is the instructions, which I wrote  
In the most common tongue of humankind  
And not your native tongue. I did not choose.

LIGHT:

But why then would you drop the book at all?  
Those same instructions which you wrote inside  
Prove something else as well: 'twas no mistake.  
You wanted it to fall.

RYUK:

Aye, so it is.  
The truth is, I was bored. Does it sound strange?  
Even a god of death must feel alive,  
And I did not. My kind grow indolent.  
They doze or play at lots, neglecting all  
The duties we once served, and mock at those  
Who yet uphold them. "Such a foolish drudge!  
Why work so hard?" they ask, with no reply.  
I cannot kill them, howso'er I try;  
The notebook is for mortal lives alone.  
Yet where we sit, above the earthly fray,  
The deaths of humans are remote and small.  
So I've descended for diversion's sake—  
And you have made me quite a spectacle.

LIGHT:

I can relate, for I was bored as well.  
I must admit, the notebook seemed at first  
A foolish prank of no real consequence.  
But now I see it has some darker art  
Than I can fathom, which compels the man  
Who finds it to make use of it, at least  
One time, as it did me.

RYUK:

Compelled, you say?

LIGHT:

My dreams have not been pleasant, I admit,  
Nor has my appetite been what it was.  
My doubts have made me gaunt and baggy-eyed,  
But 'tis no matter now. My work is all.  
At present, I have written down the names  
Of brutal malefactors near and wide,  
The worst in all the world. Within this room  
I've everything I need: the constant news,  
The internet laid open to my will.

RYUK:

I see, I see. Yet now I wonder why  
In all these names, I see a cause of death  
But once. Not worth the effort?

LIGHT:

No, not that.  
Whene'er no cause is given, it defaults  
To heart attack—a swift, distinctive death.  
The most notorious felons in the world  
Have perished in this manner, every one.  
And lesser beasts of their same murd'rous flock  
Have now begin to fall of selfsame cause.  
No man, whate'er his folly, will not see  
The pattern that they augur: evil falls  
By goodness' hand. The world will know I come  
To purge it, and will turn away from crime  
Lest they be judged as well. And when mankind  
Is lawful, then shall my attentions turn  
To lesser immoralities than crime.  
Then all shall shed their rash or lazy ways  
Like serpents' skins, or perish by my hand.  
The good shall wholly populate the earth;  
The bad shall be no more.

RYUK:

Heh, every one?  
Why then, it seems the only evil left  
Will be your own.

LIGHT:

How now, what do you mean?  
I am a model student, straight and true,  
A paragon of virtue for my age.  
And when my new world order bears sweet fruit,  
Then I shall be its god!

RYUK:

A god indeed!  
I'll call my wager won, for now I see  
'Tis true enough: what fun these mortals be!

* * *

**ACT I, SCENE VII**

INTERPOL:

This is a strange occurrence, at the least.  
Full fifty deaths this week we can confirm,  
And all of those by cardiac arrest.  
Arrested, aye indeed, for every one  
A fugitive or felon behind bars—  
And many wanted men may yet be found  
And raise the horrid count. One hundred, more—

L:

And so the champions of law begin  
To stir at last. I cannot but approve.  
Their aid may prove an expeditious prop  
To solve the case, and see the killings stop.


	2. Chapter 2

**ACT II, SCENE I**

RYUK:

Your dedication is exemplary.

LIGHT:

It must be so; I have no time to waste.  
I must maintain my studies and my rank,  
And after class obtain my wonted sleep  
Lest I should lose my edge. I've little time  
To squander, ere I build Utopia.  
To cleanse the world and re-envision it,  
The amplest time will ne'er be adequate!

* * *

**ACT II, SCENE II**

INTERPOL:

Full fifty deaths this week we can confirm,  
And all of those by cardiac arrest.  
Arrested, aye indeed, for every one  
A fugitive or felon behind bars—  
And many wanted men may yet be found  
And raise the horrid count. One hundred, more—

OFFICER 1:

But these are villains of the vilest kind,  
Deserving of their fates if not of worse.  
Why should we be concerned?

OFFICER 2:

How now, who speaks  
With such a brazen and incautious tongue?  
Murder is murder, whosoe'er it claims  
As victims—aye, the guilty or the just.  
The crime is yet the same.

OFFICER 3:

'Tis murder, then?  
That claim has not been proven.

OFFICER 2:

I say 'tis.  
So many deaths as this, of selfsame cause  
And all the stricken likewise of a type  
Would tax the most incredulous of fools  
To claim coincidence.

OFFICER 3:

Then I'm a fool,  
For I say 'tis beyond the pale of sense  
That anyone could kill so many men  
Across the far-flung reaches of the earth  
All in an instant.

OFFICER 4:

We believe, i'faith,  
Some vast organization is at work  
And these assassinations we have seen  
Most scrupulously plotted.

OFFICER 1:

Is that so?  
Why then, I do believe it. For i'faith,  
If such organization should exist,  
Then it would be yourselves, Americans,  
Most like to be the source.

OFFICER 4:

You three-inch fool!  
Repeat it, if you dare!

INTERPOL:

Good gentlemen,  
Refrain from brash and ill-considered jests.  
This is a matter touching all our prides  
And petty squabbles will not solve it.

OFFICER 2:

Nay,  
Our pride is unaffected. Our concern  
Is with the law, and with the law alone.  
A man condemned should face due punishment,  
Not die betimes.

OFFICER 3:

It seems to me we leap  
To grave conclusions most unseasonably.  
Before we bind ourselves to chasing ghosts,  
I ask we first rule out coincidence.

OFFICER 1:

Upon what evidence? The cause of death  
In every case was ruled a heart attack:  
A natural death. This is no stabbing case,  
Where we could track the murderer to his den  
And fox him there.

OFFICER 4:

Let's put it to a vote.

INTERPOL:

The answer's clear enough. My friends, I fear  
This is a case for L.

MATSUDA:

For L? What's that?

SOICHIRO:

Ah, Matsuda, I had forgotten quite;  
You are a rank newcomer to this band.  
L is a man, but little else is known;  
He keeps his secrets and his solitude.  
He is a sleuth, but a peculiar kind  
Who takes his mysteries as dogs do meat  
Digesting them with all attentiveness.  
The coldest case is not beyond his means  
To solve—though how he does it, I know not.  
He is our trump card.

OFFICER 4:

Aye, but useless here.  
He takes no case but those that interest him,  
And leaves the rest.

OFFICER 3:

Nor can we contact him.

_[Enter Watari]_

WATARI:

Good gentlemen, you have no cause to fret.  
L has already taken on this case  
Some few days since.

INTERPOL:

Watari!

MATSUDA:

Who is that?  
I know of no such agent of Japan.

SOICHIRO:

He's L's assistant, and no man of ours.  
In truth, we know as little of this man  
As we do know of L.

WATARI:

Lend me your ears.  
L wishes to address you for himself.

_[Watari sets down a computer]_

L:

Good day to you. I am the very man  
Whom you do know as L. The case at hand,  
Unparalleled in manner and in scope,  
Is nonetheless a clear and monstrous crime  
Which I must halt regardless of the cost.  
For murder 'tis, foul and unnatural,  
And I must needs ask your assistance here  
Grant me this resolution, make it firm:  
That all police of every nation stand  
Arrayed at my disposal, should I ask,  
To thwart the killer.

INTERPOL:

Thus we are resolved.  
You have our fealty 'til the case is solved.

L:

Then all is well. Now, in particular,  
Of all the nations here, I will require  
Cooperation from the Japanese,  
For reasons I will show.

SOICHIRO:

The Japanese?  
What are your reasons, pray?

L:

Whether it be  
Some man alone or action by a group  
That has these foul murders carried out,  
I have on good authority deduced  
The source is Japanese, or in Japan.

MATSUDA:

On good authority, you say? But how?  
What evidence exists for such a claim.

L:

What evidence? Oh, that I hope to prove  
In present confrontation with the cur  
Responsible. Then shall I make my case,  
That in Japan this probe should have its base.

* * *

**ACT II, SCENE III**

YAMAMOTO:

Each day the news becomes more riveting;  
I cannot look away.

FRIEND:

No, nor can I.

YAMAMOTO:

To see so many criminals dispatched  
At once—'tis an amazement.

FRIEND:

So it is.  
It frightens me, but gladdens me as well.  
God knows they do deserve it.

LIGHT:

Aye, amen!  
But now we must be scrupulous ourselves,  
Lest something should befall us.

FRIEND:

That is true.  
I used to have light fingers as a boy—  
It frets me now, in truth, a little bit.

YAMAMOTO:

I wager the police force is the cause.  
Who else could pull it off?

FRIEND:

Oh, don't be daft.  
The mere police lack power such as this.  
'Tis something supernatural, I say—  
Like heroes out of books.

LIGHT:

Ah, here's my house.  
I'll see you two tomorrow.

YAMAMOTO:

Then farewell!

_[Exit Yamamoto and Friend]_

RYUK:

You seem to be enjoying this.

LIGHT:

Not so.  
Whene'er I leave, the book remains behind;  
That distance conjures fears within my mind.

* * *

**ACT II, SCENE IV**

SACHIKO:

Good day, dear son.

LIGHT:

Good mother, I am home.  
I shall be in my room, as usual.

_[Exit Sachiko]_

Until I see the notebook's safely stowed,  
My mind can know no peace. Ah, here it is.  
And look, here's something to amuse you, Ryuk.

RYUK:

What ho?

LIGHT:

There are already websites made  
Extoling me and cheering on my cause.  
And here is one. They call me "Kira" now—  
A vile name, but unavoidable.  
It comes from "killer," but I dare not fuss  
And 'twould be pointless, for the name has spread  
To every corner of the Earth. Kira—  
A simple query entered for that name  
Returns results quite multitudinous.  
As yet, the media will not confirm  
The deaths are willful, but the people sense  
That at long last, Justice unveils her eyes  
To gaze upon the world and retribute.  
And such is human nature, at the core,  
That though in public we might all aver  
That killing those who do not merit life  
Is evil—for we must look virtuous  
Before our peers; it is the right response—  
Yet privately we feel the opposite.  
These cowards do not dare support me now  
With voices raised; but on the internet  
Their anonymity emboldens them  
To praise me to the skies. There, Kira reigns.  
The innocent of conscience give acclaim;  
The guilty quail in fear of my decree.  
Indeed, I planned it so.

ANNOUNCER:

We interrupt  
This broadcast for a worldwide bulletin  
From Interpol.

LIND L. TAILOR:

Good evening, everyone.  
My name is Lind L. Tailor, known as L.  
At my command, and my command alone,  
The masses of police in every land  
Will mobilize and rally to my call.

LIGHT:

By God, what's this?

MATSUDA:

So this is L? But that is passing strange.  
You told me that he never shows his face;  
Why would he now?

SOICHIRO:

I guess it is a sign  
Of just how earnestly he takes this case.  
We gave him our assistance, all he asked;  
Now we shall see how much his word is worth.

LIND L. TAILOR:

A killer walks among us, and his prey  
The criminals whose deaths you all have seen  
And wondered at. Murder most foul it is,  
Of most expansive and most grievous scope  
Unprecedented in our histories.  
This Kira is himself a criminal  
And must be stopped—as, verily, he will.  
This I can guarantee.

RYUK:

He guarantees!  
And what say you to that?

LIGHT:

I say he's mad  
Or witless, at the least. I'll ne'er be caught.  
The notebook is the only proof there is,  
And that he shall not have. I was prepared  
For some futile pursuit, and I was right.

LIND L. TAILOR:

I quite suspect I know your motives here,  
But murder it remains. Aye, it is vile,  
And you are evil too.

LIGHT:

I, evil? I?  
I am the righteous hero of this tale,  
The savior shattering the chains of fear  
As Heracles unto Prometheus!  
I shall remake the world, perfect it quite,  
And be to it a god. I, evil? Nay,  
Those who oppose me are the evil ones,  
And you're a dunce as well. For shame, for shame!  
'Tis pity, for had you the brains you claim,  
This rivalry might prove most interesting.

LIND L. TAILOR:

Police worldwide, united in this cause,  
Have launched a great investigation.

LIGHT:

Ha,  
And now his name is written. "L," farewell.  
The world will see you perish and will know  
The fate that comes to those who challenge me.

LIND L. TAILOR:

O, I am slain!

_[Tailor dies]_

L:

I scarce believe it, yet  
It seems my inkling was quite accurate.  
You have the power, Kira, as I thought,  
To kill your victims without touching them.  
I stand perplexed, but I cannot reject  
The true reporting of my own two eyes.  
Well, hear me now. The man that you have killed  
Was not myself, but just a criminal  
Condemned to die today. His sentence and arrest  
Were secret even from the media  
And thus you knew him not.

RYUK:

He has you there.

L:

I am L truly, and I do exist.  
So I implore you: kill me, if you can!

LIGHT:

You whoreson cur!

L:

What are you waiting for?  
I did implore you. See, I am still here!

AIZAWA:

The man is mad! Has he no fear of death?  
These are no stakes a chary man would dare!

L:

It seems you lack the power.

RYUK:

Heh, indeed.  
And what a thankful breath he now must draw!

L:

So there are some you lack the means to kill.  
You have vouchsafed me a most useful clue;  
I shall repay. This broadcast was announced  
As if it were to be for worldwide view,  
But 'tis not so. 'Tis in Japan alone  
The Kanto region, in particular.  
It would have been repeated elsewhere, but  
Your kind assistance has removed the need.  
You are in Kanto, Kira.

RYUK:

This one's sharp.  
You may yet cut yourself upon his edge.

L:

A man took hostages in Shinjuku  
And perished strangely. Yes, he was the first,  
Though your police were unaware of that.  
His crimes were lesser than your later prey,  
And only media inside Japan  
Did feature him. I needed nothing more  
To know that you were in Japan as well.  
The Kanto region is most populous,  
So it was chosen as our starting place.  
'Twas purely luck that you should be there. Aye,  
I dared not hope to meet this much success  
So soon. Now I daresay it shan't be long  
Ere you yourself will be condemned to die.

MATSUDA:

This L is brilliant!

SOICHIRO:

Yea, indeed he is.  
He proved that Kira does exist, and where,  
And that his methods function from afar,  
All in one go.

L:

I am still curious  
About the nature of your hellish power,  
But I can wait to satisfy myself  
'Til you are shortly in my custody.

LIGHT:

Condemned to die, he says? What, I condemned?  
Then thus I vow, L.

L:

Kira, this I vow.

LIGHT AND L:

Whate'er it takes, however high the cost,  
I shall discover you and take your life,  
For I am justice!

L:

'Til we meet again,  
I bid farewell.

RYUK:

O, what a charming twist!  
You each know nothing of your counterpart,  
Yet you must find him, or he must find you,  
And then the loser shall forfeit his life.  
O, humans are an entertaining lot!

LIGHT:

I will prevail.

RYUK:

That we shall see, my friend.  
But come what may, I'll watch until the end!


	3. Chapter 3

**ACT III, SCENE I**

SHINIGAMI:

Well met, sir! Have you seen Ryuk of late?  
The last I heard of him, he did suggest  
That he had let his notebook fall to earth  
Like Icarus, out of the human sky,  
And now I fear his absence proves it true.  
What do you think? Why, if a human found  
That Death Note ere he could recover it...

JUSTIN:

Fie on your fears. I doubt it's come to that.  
But if it has, he shall be gone awhile,  
For should a human seize his notebook thus  
Then in the human world he must remain  
Until the thief or the Death Note itself  
Should perish.

SHINIGAMI:

Oh, that is a fearful thought!  
Ryuk is strange, but even such as he  
Would ne'er desire to be a human's pet.

JUSTIN:

I am not sure of that. Ryuk remains  
A cipher even to the rest of us.  
And as I heard, though but a rumor 'tis,  
He has a second notebook on him still.

SHINIGAMI:

What, two, you say? What does he want with two?

JUSTIN:

That is the question, if I only knew.

* * *

**ACT III, SCENE II**

RYUK:

You seem a sluggard. 'Tis unusual.

LIGHT:

I am expectant, Ryuk, nothing more—  
This pregnant pause is but an interlude.  
I want to see what the police will do  
Before I make unnecessary moves,  
And yes, i'faith, I am a tired man.  
Whene'er I set but one foot out of doors,  
I cannot help but hear men speak of me,  
For L and Kira are on every tongue.  
As well it should be. But as one involved  
I find the subject far less interesting.

_[Light opens a magazine]_

See here: they call L "sleuth" and "mastermind,"  
A shadow figure linked to Interpol,  
While me they christen "supernatural,"  
And "telepathic"—would that that were true!—  
To trumpet tales of our great rivalry.  
Another claims we are illusory,  
Police inventions to disguise their acts  
Of execution without shield of law—  
Yea, even now, some doubt that we exist.  
I can't escape such tidings anywhere,  
But I must try. Kira cannot attend  
To every mention of him, lest he lose  
Himself to stress and base anxiety.  
His mind needs idleness, from time to time.

RYUK:

'Tis nice to rest, but can your mind afford  
Such laxity in such a time as this?  
In every nation of the world, police  
Are working toward your apprehension, Light.

LIGHT:

Police or no, I can afford a break.  
For when I chose to use the notebook thus  
To purge the world of evil, I embraced  
The chance a manhunt would come after me.  
I have a certain key advantage there,  
And factored it into my calculus.

RYUK:

Advantage, heh?

SAYU:

Why is this door secured?  
Please let me through.

LIGHT:

Dear Sayu, what is this?

SAYU:

I need assistance with my schoolwork.

LIGHT:

Ah.  
Be patient, then, and I will let you in.

_[Enter Sayu]_

What is it this time?

SAYU:

Woe, 'tis math again.  
Quadratic functions are unkind to me.

LIGHT:

Of course they are.

RYUK:

Heh, do be cautious, Light;  
For anyone who does but brush against  
That notebook you keep hidden in your drawer  
Will then be able to observe me here  
And hear me, too.

LIGHT:

Oh, now you mention it?  
That is some information, I would think,  
You might have told me sooner. Damn your cheek!

SAYU:

Oh ho, what's this? A dirty magazine?  
I see now why your door was barred.

LIGHT:

Not so,  
I only read it for the articles  
Concerning Kira and detective L.

SAYU:

Of course you do; you plan to undertake  
Detective work once you become a man—  
And you are studying now? How dutiful.

LIGHT:

O, never doubt it! I intend to be  
The man in charge of that whole agency.

SAYU:

And that you shall. In truth, I do believe it.

RYUK:

The man in charge? That's his advantage? No,  
That is a mere ambition, unachieved  
For years at best, if he can be believed.

* * *

**ACT III, SCENE III**

L:

I stand perplexed; why am I yet alive  
Despite my dare that Kira murder me?  
'Tis true that I am not his wonted type,  
But nor was Tailor, for all Kira knew.  
No, he'd have done it, were he capable;  
The situation bears that out in full.  
He knows me not, has never seen my face—  
Is that the source of my deliverance?

WATARI:

A word, good L.

L:

What is it, Watari?

WATARI:

The task force gathers; they will start apace.

L:

'Tis meet they do. Connect me to them straight.  
I'll find another time to ruminate.

* * *

**ACT III, SCENE IV**

SOICHIRO:

I would hear of the victims now.

AGENT 1:

Yes, sir.  
Our inquiries have yielded ample fruit:  
For every victim we are certain of,  
The details of his life and crimes were known  
And most obtainable within Japan.  
As for the timing of those deaths—the which  
L did enjoin us most specifically  
To study—the majority of deaths  
Have fallen on a weekday afternoon  
Between the hours of four and two at night,  
And of those, the majority occur  
'Twixt eight and midnight. Those on holidays  
Or weekends are more scattershot: between  
Eleven of the morning, two at night,  
They fall like autumn leaves, haphazardly.

SOICHIRO:

'Tis most peculiar; I shall note it down.

AGENT 2:

We have received three thousand calls of late  
From members of the public; most concerned  
Whether our recent broadcast was unfeigned  
Or whether L exists. Some scant fourteen  
Made claims of seeing Kira or to know  
His true identity. We questioned them  
Most thoroughly, as my report records,  
But none seem credible. Beyond those few,  
Some other calls professed themselves to be  
The very man we seek.

AGENT 1:

Now there's a laugh.

AGENT 2:

Indeed, but we took statements all the same,  
For we dare leave no possibility  
Unprobed, however slight the chance.

SOICHIRO:

Agreed.  
I think that should conclude today's reports.  
If any man among us noticed aught  
Or has a question, 'tis the time to speak.

MATSUDA:

Sir, may I?

SOICHIRO:

What is it, Matsuda? Speak.

MATSUDA:

Concerning Kira, in these past few days—  
I do not meant to give him credit, yet  
It must be noted—violent crime has dropped  
Dramatically abroad, and more so here—  
Aye, most precipitously.

SOICHIRO:

I suppose  
That is to be expected. If that's all,  
Our meeting is concluded.

L:

Not quite yet.  
I thank you all for your true diligence  
And feel as though we have begun to bond.  
I hope you will permit one more request:  
As those of you assigned to analyze  
The victims, media, and internet  
Proceed, likewise investigate, I pray,  
Whether within Japan their crime reports  
Showed images of those who later died  
By Kira's hand. I thank you in advance.

SOICHIRO:

Two teams I have assigned to stay the night;  
The rest of you may stay or leave at will.  
We stand adjourned.

_[Exit agents]_

MATSUDA:

Will you be heading home?

SOICHIRO:

Indeed I will, and very gratefully—  
Last night I worked 'til dawn.

MATSUDA:

You must be drained.

SOICHIRO:

I am. But from your face, I can deduce  
You have a question—ask it and be done.

MATSUDA:

When I proclaimed that crime rates have declined—  
A fact the others surely must have known  
Without my help—should I have kept my peace?

SOICHIRO:

Kept peace? Ne'er so. The facts remain the facts  
However hard we find those facts to face,  
And when the facts are inconvenient  
'Tis more important still to give them voice.  
You were not wrong. Though, had you then proposed  
To honor Kira for his handiwork—

MATSUDA:

That I would not! I can assure you, sir,  
I'll give no laurels to that murderer.

* * *

**ACT III, SCENE V**

LIGHT:

And that should do it. Do you understand?

SAYU:

Perhaps, I think. O, you're a prodigy!

_[The doorbell rings]_

That must be Father—he's come home betimes!  
I should go greet him.

LIGHT:

Do your homework first!  
There's yet one problem left to do yourself.

SAYU:

I will, but later!

SACHIKO:

Children, come downstairs!  
'Tis dinnertime.

SAYU:

I'm coming!

LIGHT:

So am I.  
Dear father, it is good to see you home.

SOICHIRO:

'Tis good to be here. What is new with you?  
What of your schooling?

LIGHT:

Same as usual.

SAYU:

He is preeminent among his class  
But calls it merely "same."

SACHIKO:

And so he should.  
He is reliable in his success.

SOICHIRO:

And Sayu, what of you?

SAYU:

Of me? O, naught  
That you should care to hear, I do suspect.  
'Tis "same" for me as well.

SOICHIRO:

I see, I see.

LIGHT:

You seem fatigued.

SOICHIRO:

I am fatigued indeed.  
This case disturbs me; 'tis a troubling one,  
More like to the pursuit of will-o'-wisps  
Than to a proper case. Yet, we have made  
Some progress, for today our leader said  
The estimated times of death suggest  
The killer is a student.

SACHIKO:

Dear, I think  
This subject less than fitting for a meal.

SOICHIRO:

I see no harm in asking Light's advice,  
For it has proven useful in the past  
In moving cases forward to good ends.

RYUK:

Ah, this is the advantage that he claimed:  
His father's in the national police  
And ranks quite high, at that. O, what a twist!

LIGHT:

Your pardons, all, but may I be excused?  
I am quite full.

SAYU:

Already? That was quick.

LIGHT:

And so should your remaining homework be.  
Do you need more assistance?

SAYU:

No, thank you.

SOICHIRO:

He did your work for you? What, ho, again?

SAYU:

O, wonderful! Light, you backstabbing fiend!  
You could have held your tongue.

LIGHT:

I could indeed.  
I mean to clean my room myself tonight  
So do not enter, Mother, if you please.

SACHIKO:

I have not cleaned in there since you were young  
And I do not intend to do it now.

_[Exit Light]_

SAYU:

So secretive, so serious and glum—  
O, what a teenager our Light's become!

* * *

**ACT III, SCENE VI**

RYUK:

A student in the Kanto region, heh?  
It seems the hounds are closing in on you.

LIGHT:

They close in only on the scent I laid.  
I'faith, all of my actions to this point  
Were meant to lead them to this inference.  
Now that their noses are the right way turned,  
I mean to change my patterns up somewhat.  
The notebook rules decree that I can write  
A cause of death, then further specify  
The details of that victim's quietus.  
A heart attack may be the default means,  
But I can write it too, and details add  
If I so choose. Attend me closely, Ryuk.  
You'll find good sport now, if you only look.

* * *

**ACT III, SCENE VII**

SOICHIRO:

What, three and twenty victims yet again?

AGENT 1:

Aye, sir.

AGENT 2:

Again?

SOICHIRO:

Just as the day before.  
And just as then, the fallen victims all  
Were prisoners whose times of death we know  
With surety: each one an hour apart.

AGENT 2:

Two days it's been, and those were weekdays both.  
He may not be a student after all.

AGENT 1:

Or else he skipped—what schoolboy hasn't?

L:

No!  
'Tis true he may not be a student, but  
The message here is something else. Observe,  
Now Kira's shown his hand: he can affix  
The times of death at any time he wills.  
In truth, this is a message aimed at me,  
To warn me he has access to the case  
And knows what we discuss in confidence.  
O, what a brazen and audacious wit!  
This is a challenge; I must answer it.

* * *

**ACT III, SCENE VIII**

RYUK:

Ah, now I see the purpose of your scheme.  
'Tis well-devised—how L must flounder now!

LIGHT:

Indeed, I have retained a small reserve  
Of criminals for uses such as this.  
But there remains a problem I must solve,  
And quickly, too.

RYUK:

What problem?

LIGHT:

You'll recall  
That those who touch the notebook can perceive  
Your visage and your voice. Aye, since the day  
You told me of this fact, I have not dared  
To leave the notebook off my person. Yet  
This notebook is my weakness—proof of guilt,  
Should anyone discover it—and so  
I dare not take it with me. 'Til you spoke,  
I thought I could explain the book away  
As notes that I've been taking on the case  
To play detective. But it will not work.  
I feel I walk upon a razor's edge;  
One slight misstep could hurl me to my doom.  
I dare not let this book unbalance me,  
Lest Kira must needs kill his family.


End file.
